- Last OnlineDec 12, 10:37 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayJan 13, 1993
- LocationMichigan
- JoinedJun 27, 2012
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Nov 25, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written: August 28, 2016 6:16 pm EST
---
I somehow hadn’t heard about this movie until rather recently. Well, I guess technically, I saw at least part of it. I watched Digimon: The Movie as a kid, after all. I remember it confusing the fuck out of me and absolutely nothing else. I might as well have never watched it, considering my retained knowledge. For a 20-minute short film, this is actually pretty good—even putting its brand aside.
A baby Digimon comes through the family’s computer, and little boy Tai and his
...
toddler sister Hikari wonder what to do with it. The first half is devoted to this set-up, with the monster causing mischief for the kids. Though light on dialogue, Tai is hesitant and critical of the problems the creature is causing but warms to it, and Hikari is an instant fan. Baby Hikari was my favorite thing about the movie, her naive fascination with the Digimon is super cute and she communicates almost exclusively through a whistle she carries with her.
The Digimon eventually grows to be too big for the house, and Tai and Hikari escape with it in the night as it battles another giant Digimon in the form of a Kaiju fight. The backdrop of a city makes this influence feel pretty genuine, and the movements of the large monsters are slow with a fair amount of physical brawling and city destruction. It’s a bit different in tone from what I remember of the Digimon Adventure series, which was more akin to Pokémon between trading off named attacks from a distance.
The music is the weakest part of the movie, featuring basically one theme that’s reused repeatedly regardless of context. It’s an uplifting orchestral piece that captures the scale and feeling of awe of the Digimon, but it doesn’t evolve in tone unlike the movie’s progression from cute comedy to action, so the development could’ve been a little better there.
That aside, the story told feels perfectly complete here and fits in a balanced, standard three-act structure with more serious tonal escalation to keep momentum going. I love the painted backgrounds but I wouldn’t sell this for its animation quality although it justifies the distinction of being a movie. It’s just slick all around, and a bit of an outlier regarding its slower, more minimal direction among the usual Digimon franchise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Nov 22, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written August 23, 2016 2:15 am EST
---
Fuck me. It happened. I teared up. It was at the exact moment I knew it would happen, when the song “Do You Remember Love?” climaxed this special. This is a half-hour music video of Minmay’s songs accompanying footage of the series and movie, alongside some original animation.
Minmay is performing her final concert to commemorate the departure of Misa Hayase’s ship, the Megaroad-01. This is as glorious a recap special could be, a bittersweet reminiscing over the lost romances and partings of Macross.
...
I love the music, and it runs through the emotional gambit of the show, albeit not entirely.
The imagery focuses a little too much on the romance at points and misses some other emotional beats, but for the most part, the accompanying video is perfectly in sync with the songs. There’s occasionally strange editing choices, like a grunt’s face being blasted off during a love song because a taken scene went on too long. Also, some spoken audio can be a bit out of place, but they’re rarities in what’s overall a great execution of its concept. As a huge Macross fan, I feel like I could’ve mixed it all to be even better, but oh well. The absence of “My Boyfriend Is a Pilot” is also bizarre.
“An Angel’s Paints” opens and closes the OVA as Minmay waves a fond farewell to Hikaru and Misa, the song expressing how she can face her sullen heartbreak with the colors of her music. She’s finally free, and now that she can say goodbye to everything that happened aboard the Macross, so can we. The seemingly-destined love between Hikaru and Minmay grew inverse of each other, just passing each other by, and at last, they’re both out of sight.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 22, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 30, 2014 5:23 pm EST
---
I didn't want to believe it, but the consensus is right on this one: Macross II is mediocre.
Given its lackluster reception, I was actually surprised that this really does feel like a genuine Macross entry. We can even give it credit for being the first sequel and therefore solidifying the themes that run through the franchise: mechs, music, and romance. However, unlike future installments, it doesn't take these elements to new places.
The plot's conflict and resolution is almost exactly the same as the
...
original series. A new alien race has shown up, and when offense and singing proves ineffective, there's only two options left: offense and singing. In other words, the resolution is dumb, doesn't make much sense, and is anticlimactic in its unoriginality.
The romance progresses predictably save for one part near the end. The problem is that unlike the original Macross, Hibiki doesn't have Hikaru's charming, innocent naivete. We also aren't given time to see his relationship grow, like we do with Hikaru and Minmay. There's no enticing mystery about whether these two feel the same way towards each other, because it never crosses the mind that they don't. All throughout Macross II, it feels like there's only one possible way it can conclude.
The least-recycled part of the premise is Hibiki's career as a journalist, which is unsurprisingly its best aspect. But there isn't enough time to focus on this side hustle, so outside of the exposition, this and any themes regarding media censorship play a trivial role. It's interesting how Hikaru's perspective is of one kid in the middle of huge events he has little control over; it makes him relatable. Hibiki feels like someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The Variable Fighters are exactly the same as they were in the first Macross. When a new unique machine named the Metal Siren appears that's revealed to be a two-seater, I was hoping and expecting it would be piloted by Hibiki as Ishtar sits in the back and uses her power of song in some way. Cool right? Doesn't happen. It's just a high performance regular VF that plays no significant role in the story.
The combat sequences themselves are all right, the colors are so dark due to the age of this thing that at times I couldn't really tell what was going on. But without any reason to care about the enemy or pilots (since there's only three characters that matter and one of them you barely see fight), these combat sequences seem like fluffy fanservice for the mecha crowd.
Oh yeah, and the music. The score is a bleating mess of horns and synthesizers that couldn't sound more low-budget or stock. The pop songs are… okay. But they're pretty damn far from the memorability of "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" or Firebomber's songs.
There's nothing about Macross II that's offensively bad. It's just boring at worst, and mildly interesting at best. I could like it more if 20 minutes were shaved off the runtime's last quarter. I don't particularly recommend it.
Macross II is average for an OVA, and probably below-average for Macross. Still, there's much worse things an anime could be than an average '90s OVA. If you're really into that style like I am, this could be good enough entertainment for an afternoon.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written June 9, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Engaging enough to be worth its two-volume length, considering I'm a fan of the author, Shuzo Oshimi. That being said, I barely got anything out of Yuutai Nova. There's something of interest here with its subject matter—I can't say I'm familiar with another work of fiction centered entirely around the concept of astral projection. However, the desire to tell a relatable character drama at its center in such a scant amount of pages virtually guarantees neither the themes nor character development will be
...
fulfilling on their own.
I like some of the ideas it briefly touches on. The story takes a very pragmatic perspective on what a lonely college male would do with such a power, obviously resulting in voyeurism; perverted or otherwise. There's potential here in the contrast of being able to tear down the walls of anyone's privacy without consent by visiting them as a ghost, yet still only being able to observe a second, static layer of them. Being able to meld one's spirit form with another in order to share minds and gain a deeper understanding is another storytelling device with potential..
There's something there with whether the things someone protects with their privacy are worth it, and the possible beauty of pure openness. Shuzo Oshimi is generally skilled at exploring human weaknesses, but all of these things are merely lightly touched upon. No complex philosophies are explored, just suggested, and the work doesn't make a statement on much of anything.
When it comes to being able to illicit a raw, emotional response, the manga also doesn't deliver, considering its sudden conclusion that doesn't completely resolve character arcs and backgrounds. We know very little about what has changed in our characters from the beginning of the story, and that's a shame.
The art's pretty decent. The details aren't as finely-trimmed as something like Flowers of Evil, but there's more diversity in character designs from being less concerned with realism. The city and street backgrounds are, as always from Oshimi, stunning. I have to assume he traces over photographs—or maybe he really is that good?
For a story about astral projection, Yuutai Nova struggles to get its own feet off the ground—so much so that it was prematurely pulled from serialization.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 2, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Waltz probably would've made for a really good, longer story. I find the premise to be brilliant. Onaga, an ordinary, dissatisfied girl meets Kawashibara, a young man secretly wishing to be a woman. The two form a relationship where Onaga gives Kawashibara makeovers to bring their dream closer to reality. It is, potentially, a story of someone who can only be free being something society suggests they're not "meant" to be, and someone who can only find meaning in their life by letting
...
someone else become the beautiful, extraordinary person they can't see in themselves.
It's a concept that could lead to an incredible, deep relationship dynamic, but we only get a light touch of it in this 40 page one-shot. Nevertheless, Waltz tries to tell a story bigger than the space it's allowed, and events and character developments blur by without sufficient justification. We don't see the finer details of how the duo's relationship develops, but only stopgaps between them meeting and the beginning of their makeover sessions.
This limitation becomes especially awkward when another (male) classmate enters the scene, and we're never made clear of whether both leads are attracted to him, possibly have a falling out over him, or what. Onaga's violent reaction to Kawashibara admitting she wants to be seen as pretty by this new classmate demands further explanation to make any satisfying sense given their deep bond, and it's also necessary to understand the story's resolution.
There aren't enough details to make a case for the second-to-last scene in any specific way, and the emotional catharsis is pulled out from under the story because of it. Waltz successfully grabbed me until the story was practically over anyway, but it remains only a tease of what could've been a fantastic story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written November 18, 2020 6:56 pm EST
---
I love Junji Ito, but I don't think Venus in the Blind Spot is great. This strange collection gathers stories from throughout his history into one incohesive package, as is often the case with Ito. Maybe in 2040, we'll finally get English publications of his work in chronological order instead of this headache-inducing, scavenger hunt crap.
So, I wanted to read the stories I had never come across before in English. To my knowledge, these were:
Venus in the Blind Spot
Master Umezz and Me
How Love
...
Came to Professor Kirida
Keepsake
An Unearthly Love
Two classics are reprinted here: The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Billions Alone. I won't argue against the status of these two, but because they have been around for so long, I didn't factor them into my overall rating of this collection.
Still, this compilation has a professional English translation, which is always appreciated, even if it keeps the infamously stupid "drrr drrr drrr" sound effects in Amigara Fault. I assume this was done for legacy meme value rather than accuracy, which is always a detraction in my scorebook. By and large, the official scripts read fluidly, and the high-quality digital scans are a delight to see.
Additionally, there's quite a generous amount of color pages spread throughout the book. They're quite good, too, for what they are. These typically cover the first six or so pages, but will occasionally, suddenly appear to color iconic panels. I've personally never found partial coloring jobs to be much of a selling point, but at least they did a good job.
Where this shines, however, is a series of full-page artworks at the end of the collection. These were meant to be viewed in full-color and typically aren't encountered by western readers, so it's nice to see them made accessible. These artworks range from standalone pieces to promotional artwork for unfeatured works such as Uzumaki and No Longer Human. Kind of cool.
The "new" stories, though? Eh. Ehhhhhh. If these actually aren't recent, or have been in English before, then it's no wonder I either don't remember them. Hell, I barely even feel like talking about them. But I will, because I'm a true professional.
Venus in the Blind Spot
Despite being the titular story, this is probably the worst. I took away nothing from the concept or plot, and this failed to capture any of my anxieties. It has novelty value for being one of the surprisingly few Ito stories to involve aliens, but even that subject isn't explored. The "horror" is too rationalized, and the consequences of it feel mild and without meaning.
Master Umezz and Me
Autobiographical Ito stories are always fun, as the author has quite an amusing, self-deprecating sense of humor that contrasts with his fiction's severity. This is no exception. Beyond these humorous depictions of himself, this story is mostly Ito fellating a fellow, inspirational manga author. It did make me want to check out his work, so Ito likely accomplished one of his goals with writing this. However, this is neither a serious biography of their work nor a super interesting life story, so it ends up compromised and of middling interest.
How Love Came to Professor Kirida
This is another one of Ito's literature adaptations. His artwork's attention to realistic detail, where the macabre and graceful are depicted with equal power, always comes to its greatest fruition when Ito is adapting heavily contemplative, literary material. This story is elevated by those qualities, but I feel the source material is not up to the quality of Frankenstein or No Longer Human. The drama is captivating, but I feel the story is too brief to capture any thematic depth. There's not really any moral ambiguity here; just ironic twists of fate.
Keepsake
Probably the most traditionally "scary" of these stories, due to it having the best examples of Ito's one-page stingers; the uncomfortable imagery that readers associate with him. Broadly, the tale is a standard revenge story where a character is punished for their transgressions. I consider it to the best of the "new" stories in Venus in the Blind Spot, but still only decent by Ito's standards.
An Unearthly Love
I felt the mystery of this one was engaging enough, but the reveal was weak, and it had no psychological implications about the paper-thin character associated with it. This is about as milquetoast as an Ito story can get without being outright "bad."
Well, there you go. Of those stories, I don't particularly recommend any of them. You've probably already read the best stories in here, which were ones I didn't cover. Have a nice day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 2, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Being a fan of Oshimi, I find Shino Can't Say Her Name outlier among his work. Oshimi has defined himself as an author who deals with sexual psychology, particularly that related to the trials of adolescence. Yet, the perverse is blatantly absent from this high school drama.
Which isn't to say I found it too generic. On the other hand, I found Shino's stuttering and the way it was handled to be quite well done, and I was instantly charmed by her awkwardness. It's
...
portrayed as a genuine disability rather than a temporary psychological hang-up, and the story appropriately addresses the difficulties in communication and mockery from your peers you would expect from this handicap.
Hip, alternative schoolmate Kayo provides a nice foil to Shino with her outspokenness and also lack of ability to connect with her peers, in this case from her odd interests. She also runs parallel to Shino with her own speaking problem, in that she's a musician who's vocally tone deaf.
If there's an aspect of this I didn't like so much, it's the direction of the story after Kikuchi appears. I don't necessarily think a character's romantic interest in another needs a lot of time to build, as we've all experienced crushes, for instance. I do think it needs heavier justification when it's used as a major plot device and source of tension between Shino and her friends.
Given Shino's loneliness and social inexperience at her age, it's not too hard to believe she'd develop an instinctual affection for Kikuchi despite his teasing of her earlier, but it is somewhat difficult to accept she'd end her relationship with Kayo over it in such a harsh manner to avoid being caught in a love triangle. It's also debatable whether or not she cut ties off so sharply because she wanted to let Kayo have Kikuchi, though I personally don't believe that was her motivation.
The climax of the story is touching and cathartic, if predictable. I would've liked to see more confirmation that Shino was still struggling with her disability as an adult rather than it coming across as it being nearly "cured," but her improvement is still believable and satisfying. This story hooked me from the beginning with its likable characters. Because Shino was handicapped compared to her peers, it immediately established her character as an underdog, and have her an end goal to work towards. It's cute, and its pace is brisk. I would've gladly read an entire multi-volume series of this had it kept up the same level of quality.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written June 17, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Exactly what it says on the tin. Like Seeds of Anxiety? You will like this. Perhaps not as much though, such as in my case. Seeds of Anxiety always had a lofty concept, but it seemed unlikely the author could carry it being the original series’ run. This superfluous sequel basically confirmed that, being derivative of story structures in the first series without evolving the material in any way.
If anything, the initial goal to explore irrational fears and fantasies has waned this time
...
around. The preludes to each section make less sense than before in their attempts to tie certain stories together thematically (though most in this series were unreadable because they were lazily left untranslated). The biggest change here is the infrequent attempts at longer stories. Typically, these still only last two or three additional chapters and don’t offer definitive conclusions like usual, but the sentiment is still nice to see. Your curiosity regarding certain tales is occasionally taken a little further.
Anyway, this is fine horror reading. Less bite all around than the first series: increasingly repetitive, weaker creature designs, and a decreasing lack of relevance to the core concept of Seeds of Anxiety. But despite all of that, Seeds of Anxiety+ has enough creepy moments for J-horror fans.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written May 21, 2020 12:00 am EST
---
I haven’t read the original No Longer Human, but it’s certainly on my shortlist after reading Ito‘s adaptation and it possibly becoming my favorite work of his. So I can’t contrast this with the source material, and I see many negative reviews disapprove of Ito’s take on it. But that novel must have been truly sublime for Ito to be able to allegedly cleave and twist so much of its content and still have it affect me.
Following his stellar adaptation of Frankenstein, I
...
have reason to believe Ito is only improving as he ages, taking his artistic talents to depict the derangement of human drama. Ito’s talent lies in how his art contrasts by nature. From the beginning of his career, this is a man who depicts people as flawless porcelain dolls and in the next instant changes them into monstrosities. Despite this, their original form somehow always remains recognizable, and in that lies the shock value of Ito’s art.
What I’m getting at might sound obvious. Ultimately he’s employing a technique typical of horror “stingers” by paring the mundane or attractive with the unexpected and repulsive to create a whiplash of emotion that makes the desired effect of fear all the more palpable. On a surface level, that’s what Ito’s done his entire career, but his cult following suggests someone greater than an artist who knows the most basic structure for effective horror.
Again, it’s specifically Ito’s unique talent to depict not only the normal to contrast with the strange, but his uncanny ability to go beyond the normal and into desire. In the work of horror, the ability to be able to pull the audience is directly equivalent to how strongly they can be pushed away, but I don’t feel the opposite holds nearly as true.
A mind that can depict the most undesirable aspects of life is already a rare talent, but rarer still is someone who can create flawless beauty right alongside it without the two clashing styles seeping into each other and making a uniform, neutralizing mix. There’s an element of restraint with how strictly Ito separates his nightmarish details with his immaculate ones, and that’s a skill just as impressive as being able to tap into both sensations at once.
What I’m getting at is that Ito’s talents are a surprisingly natural fit to more dramatic material. Humans are inescapably paradoxical, everyone trying their best to live a life free of hypocrisy while unconsciously betraying themselves all the time. That’s not me being nihilistic, rather I find that aspect to be very compelling and its depiction to be at the heart of the greatest character writing. To depict that hypocrisy visually, Ito can pair perfection and chaos better than just about anyone can. When taking on classic works of literature, he can depict the bipolar insanity of humans with a starkness that reflects a reality that feels frightening in how true it is to people, rather than it feeling like pure sensationalist revulsion.
That’s not to say he’s perfect at it. As I alluded to by mentioning adaptations, Ito’s storytelling skills typically lie in visuals. That isn’t to say he can’t create a compelling narrative, as he has done so many times with numerous imaginative premises, but his duality in his art can often be carrying the weight of his character drama, covering for his weakness in text rather than symbiotically expanding its quality. When the text is supplied by someone else, Ito feels perhaps at his creative peak and most personal, rather than the expected result of compromise via clashing artistic visions.
He can really tap into the sudden shock of anxiety’s razor thin line between ambivalence and fear with his whiplashing artwork, and that’s the nuance that made No Longer Human so affecting. I related significantly to the main character, which probably isn’t a great thing for me, but it was thanks to Ito’s excellent display of how suddenly human emotions can turn in the variety of his expressions. Those expressions aren’t used like they are in most of his own stories, to show reactions to horrors or the horrors themselves, but to communicate emotions directed at other humans. It’s a subtle change in the kind of stories he’s drawing for that makes an enormous difference in the nuance of his art even when it’s the same style and application it’s been for years.
Hopefully, I didn’t express myself too vaguely. Anyway, I was gripped by this character study of a sociopath unable to piece the puzzle of human interaction together, his rearranging of the pieces always causing collapses around him. It’s a hyperbole of what it feels like to be an outcast, feeling obliged to give everything a delicate touch yet not even being sure of the accuracy of the social skills at your disposal, let alone which to specifically use. It’s a spiral of fear and guilt creating themselves, and through someone who is simultaneously a victim and a villain. Beyond the strictly existential, I also perceive some Japanese cultural commentary about a maverick who is being suffocated by incomprehensible traditionalism.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written October 28, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
I read this anthology, Neo Parasyte f, before Parasyte, but I have seen the anime. I assumed that would be enough to be able to comprehend and judge this work. There was quite a time gap between me finishing the anime and reading this manga, but I believe I didn't forget anything necessary to understand these stories.
Neo Parasyte f is the sister manga to Neo Parasyte. Both of these are one-off tribute anthologies collecting stories from various manga authors based in the Parasyte
...
world. Both came out after the manga ended, and Neo Parasyte f references the entirety of the storyline's major plot beats in some way or another. Neo Parasyte compiled stories by manga authors aiming at a male demographic, while Neo Parasyte f featured manga authors aiming for a female demographic.
My local library happened to carry this one, so I dove in. Y'all, don't sleep on your local libraries for manga (or anything, frankly). I'm far from opposed to digital reading, but there's something to be said for physical texture of a book, as well as the fact you're not spending 24/7 looking at a screen. Cost is a huge impediment to physical media, but with libraries, you can circumvent that at the expense of ownership and potential shelf wear.
You can even request libraries order something you want to read! For free! They're like, your slaves (but please, always be super nice to them). While browsing my library's manga selections, I saw Neo Parasyte f, and it was in such good condition and felt so great to hold in my hands, that I couldn't resist renting it. I've now read something I might never have otherwise, and it was a wonderful change of pace. PSA over, folks.
I'm not going to review each individual story in Neo Parasyte f. It took me over a month to finish this relatively large volume. Because of how brief the stories typically are, I only remember vague details of ones from the beginning. If you've never read an anthology manga based on an established property before, you're usually not missing out on much.
It's nobody's fault, really, but the format is inherently limited. Generally, an author has up to the length of one standard manga chapter to tell an original story about a topic with bespoke character and world concepts. From here, typically one of two paths are chosen.
One is to compensate for the lack of space needed to develop original characters and settings by using the same ones from the source property, which readers of the anthology will already be familiar with. If the author tells a story about Shinichi and Migi, it may not be "canon," but the reader will still apply their previous history and affection for the characters to pull deeper meaning from the limited story space. This carries the risk of being redundant, as authors typically don't want to contradict the original story elements out of respect, which can result in telling a less-defined, weaker variation of a theme present in the source.
The second path is to use the basic premise of the original manga, in this case, aliens possessing human hosts, and then put their own spin on it. This can be creative and refreshing, but risks missing the values of the original work and telling a detrimentally simple story because of the limited amount of pages they have to set up every element.
Which is preferred depends entirely on the reader, but Neo Parasyte f's stories are comprised of about 25% of the former and 75% of the latter. In other words, the focus is on the guest authors running wild with Parasyte's premise.
Typically, anthologies lean towards comedic stories, as it's easier to set up and finish a joke in a scant amount of pages than it is to complete a character drama. In my opinion, this collection's star story is "The Royal Prince," as I believe it to the most uncompromised. In this story—one of the longer ones—a daydreaming, romantic high school girl finds herself possessed by a parasite that educates itself by reading her romance manga. The parasite imitates her favorite "pretty boy" characters, and the two form an awkward, affectionate relationship.
It's a funny, absurd premise to a normal person, but the main character is set up as enough of a ditz for you to believe she could actually fall in love with a parasite. And anyone who's seen the original story of Parasyte knows how parasites can behave naïvely and bizarrely. Not only does it have gags, the story also manages to drop hints of drama throughout that culminate into a decent twist and horrific tragedy that's appropriate for the source material. It's different from the original work, but also recognizes the genre formula that made it compelling.
On the other hand, most of Neo Parasyte f ranges from forgettable to downright cringe-worthy. One story revolves around Migi arousing Shinichi with talk of female high schoolers' gym bloomers, ending with Migi turning himself into bloomers so Shinichi can wear him. Another stars an insufferably annoying character utterly obsessed with gay male romances.
There are a few stories that only need the "shape-shifting monster" element of Parasyte to be told, and though it's been some time since I've watched the anime, I feel like a lot of the Parasite characters represented are completely out-of-character. While this may be the fault of the translation (or me, to be fair), I found a few storylines and their characters to be confusing, awkward, and difficult to understand.
The greatest delight of reading this was all of the fantastic artwork on display, and I'm inclined to check out many of these authors' own works to get more of their captivating styles. For that reason, Neo Parasyte f may have ended up as something worth reading. For others, however, I can't really recommend it. It's too restricted to add anything to the original manga, and those same restrictions prevent it from capturing what made the anime and (presumably) manga's story so great.
Ranking:
The Royal Prince
The Telepathist and the Parasite
The God of Never Never
Secret Library
A New One
First Contact
The Taste of Palm
Always With You
Parasite Love
Because I Love It
Macabre Goods
After School Danger
Parasite Food
Forbidden Fun
How Have You Been Since Then?
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
